How to do the Lat Pulldown (Reverse Grip)
- Sit at the lat pulldown machine and secure your legs under the pads.
- Grip the bar with palms facing you, reaching your arms fully upwards.
- Pull the bar down towards your upper chest, bending your elbows.
- Slowly return the bar to the starting position, straightening your arms.
Full technique — 7 steps
- Sit at the pulldown station and secure your thighs firmly under the leg pads.
- Take a shoulder-width underhand grip with arms extended and shoulders slightly elevated overhead.
- Lean back slightly from the hips and keep your back flat without turning it into a row.
- Initiate the pull by driving your elbows down and in toward your sides.
- Bring the bar to your upper chest or collarbone area while keeping forearms under the bar.
- Finish the rep with elbows pulled down, not by swinging your torso backward.
- Let the bar rise under control until your elbows straighten and shoulders reach overhead again.
Common mistakes
- Turning it into a low row
- Leaning back excessively
- Stopping short at the top
- Yanking with the arms first
- Bar drifting in front of body
Form cues
- Drive elbows down
- Keep wrists straight
- Ribs down, back flat
- Pull to upper chest
- Reach fully overhead
